Millions of articles on online learning can be found if you start scratching the web, but less is discussed on the key skills that is required to complete online courses. Educators have the notion that self-motivation is the core engine that drives the learners to their success.

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Technology undoubtedly has its effects on almost every aspect of life including economy, education and overall growth of a nation. And with the intuitive touch of technology education has become more available ever than before. If you are having family responsibilities or a working student finding hard to manage time to go back to traditional schools to learn – online learning might be your smartest answer.

Why Online Learning Is Creating a Buzz.

Let’s get back to a decade ago when students are taught in a brick-and-mortar school with teachers standing in front of students and students sitting in front of a huge blackboard. The only thing students are allowed to do is listening to the lectures and taking notes. Online learning, on the other hand, is delivered through internet over the smart-phone.

To put it simply, online learning is easing up the process of learning to those who wish to learn further to upgrade their academic career or add a zing in their professional career. But the most frequent question I am asked, whenever I take part in the discussion regarding the advancement of eLearning, is “what is the key skill to continue study online?”

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It’s definitely self-motivation. Unlike traditional learning eLearning doesn’t bound the students with the specific time span. Online learning is a self-directed mode of learning where students are empowered with decision-making right, the right to chose what to read and when to read. A student has to have enough motivation in him to complete his lessons. And this motivation eventually results in making the students more responsible. This is the reason online degrees are gaining its value to the employers al over the world. When asked about the outcome of online learning, Rick Levin, former President of Yale University, says,

“Online courses are rapidly growing in reputation, and are being acknowledged as important and legitimate qualifications to help boost career progression. They provide accessible education across geographic boundaries and time zones, without compromising on teaching quality and credential recognition.”

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In online learning, instructors are not going to push around the learners to learn. So there are chances that students would fail to complete their online courses. To avoid this, one has to keep in mind some strategies like – keeping the end goal in mind, setting a schedule to login on a regular basis, creating a calendar for assignment due dates and joining discussion boards. It is important to keep in mind that online learning may give a fair amount of space and flexibility to the students but to leverage the opportunity one needs to acclimatise himself in this mode of learning.

MOOC is a comparatively new online learning phenomenon that has developed quite fast from what it was five years ago. MOOC is a household name now with considerable media attention and major interest from higher learning institutions. Observing the growing reputation, the venture capitalists are considering it as a lucrative business opportunity to be exploited properly. MOOC can be seen as an an extended version of the existing distance learning approaches through online with regard to free access to courses and convenience; it also comes with an opportunity to think afresh. This new education system is eager to learn from the introducing business models targeting customers comparatively new to the market; also planning working under new policies to approach a diverse environment.

Online Courses planning further goals

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“Solving the education problem is a significant challenge and one that requires concerted effort,” Coursera Co-Founder Daphne Koller said a few days ago. He also added that “If Udacity [and edX] want to go in another direction, I think it’s useful that people are exploring different areas.” Coursera surprised the entire education industry last week by revealing the explosive news of investing another twenty million dollar for open online courses. This moves the amount of total investment to over sixty million dollar. According to Coursera, open online courses have massive opportunities in the market worldwide, now and in near future. But to exploit them appropriately, the system needs to emerge more strongly with more convenient options and try reaching farther. To reach those targets solid investment is required.

Distance learning system matures

The system that started providing knowledge since the ending of twentieth century has never been so popular among the students. The technological developments over the last few years and the advent of the internet that made all kind of information accessible to the people worldwide helped learners to gain the news about the latest improvements taking place in the education industry. These developments have helped the distance learning system to emerge as a more rational way of acquiring and providing knowledge. For example, billions of dollars have been invested to enrich corporate e-learning and today it has become mandatory training for many companies.

MOOC offers an engaging learning format

Learners interested about higher education are more enthusiastic about massive open online courses as they seem to be more helpful according to the news and reviews. Students completed MOOCs say their user friendly format is the biggest attraction. MOOCs, have always strived hard to rope in world-class instructors and exploit the technical advancement to offer more engaging programmes to the learners; so their classes with video instruction that they used from the beginning drew attention of the worldwide learners toward this fresh education system.

MOOCs growing to offer more

Although people opting for online education have varied range of reactions regarding the classes on internet, curiosity for MOOCs has always been common and is increasing every day. Access to quality material and innovative ways of gaining shared learning experiences are the most important ones among the many benefits that open online courses include. Most studies confirm that learners experienced MOOC own skill and aptitude in social networking via internet, helpful technical ideas, work management qualities and many other skills essential to the recent people but haven’t been widely shared so far. With millions of students applying for their courses and providers investing more efforts to allow it to be more effective, MOOCs are heading toward making a history for sure.

When an individual earns a master degree under a recognised university, he/she is considered to have obtained extensive and advanced knowledge in either a professional field or any academic discipline. In other words, the one who earns a master degree holds complete authority on a specific subject which he/she takes it as a base for career development.

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Although colleges and universities have been offering full-time master degree courses for years, the distance learning or online courses have gained equal importance on a global scale. Working professionals and students who do not get time to study in campuses either for keeping work commitments or meeting domestic responsibilities usually enrol in online master degree programmes. In fact, online courses are accredited just like those offered full-time in campuses and are even recognised by potential employers all over the world.

3 Factors That Make Online Master Degree Courses Beneficial In Today’s World

Affordability – Pursuing an online master degree course is extremely affordable in comparison to a full-time course. Since a distance learner is not required to pay extras for travelling and campus tuitions, he/she is required to pay a minimal course fee. Instead, one can enrol online in a master degree programme and work alongside with ease which in turn would keep him/her financially stable.

Employability – As far as the current employment scenario is concerned, employers now prefer hiring online master degree holders for their knowledge and understanding in working with complete independence. Moreover, there are several companies that recognise the needs and wants of their employees in terms of career prospects. This is why many working professionals enrol in online master degree courses and complete their higher studies to progress further in life.

Flexibility – Colleges and universities teaching full-time courses follow rigid curriculums that aren’t possible to be followed by those who work. So, online courses here score high in terms of flexibility and thus allow individuals to enrol from any corner of the world. In fact, online students take their own pace to complete modules as well as course assignments.

Considerations Before Choosing An Online Master Degree Course

Although it’s easy to choose a master degree course online, there are a few considerations that should always be kept in mind:

Accreditation – For an individual planning to take up a course online, accreditation is the initial consideration to be made at any cost. Unless you ensure that your online learning provider is globally accredited, you should never proceed with the enrolment process.

Faculty support – An online course is quite challenging. The distance learner is constantly required to interact with his/her instructors who also stand equally responsible for letting one complete a course without hassles. So, prior to enrolling in an online course, an individual must check whether the online learning institution is assuring considerable faculty support that includes interaction through discussion forums, attending live webinars, social networking and receiving constant feedback.

Course funding – It’s very important to check beforehand the course funding schemes offered by your online learning institution. Students who are financially challenged might initially enrol with a minimal amount. However, they might later get financially pressurised and might discontinue. Instead, if the online learning institution you choose has easy funding schemes, availing them will be easier for you to complete your course with ease.

Now, apart from these considerations and benefits of enrolling online in master degree courses, you can also gather more details by going through a master guide on distance learning courses that will help you improve your career prospects in future.

Many higher study aspirants consider online courses as an alternative to regular classroom learning. Students nursing a desire to attain bigger professional and personal goals by expanding their educational qualification are falling in love with these practical alternatives. However, the academic world today is abuzz with the discussion on whether online degrees are for all or not.

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Some educationalists suggest that online education is not appropriate for all types of students and only the technologically sound students should go for these courses. On the other hand, some well-known researchers in education field have identified three types of learners to be benefitted a lot by online degrees.

Find out whether you are among those learners or belong to different tribe:

Learners who perform consistently well

Many students perform consistently well and get commendable grades all the time. Passing examination from traditional colleges is an easy task for them. For constant student development, educational curriculum and examination method need to be tough and challenging, which traditional colleges lack in. There are host of online colleges providing quality educationand accelerated programs to fast forward your career growth. Then again, course structure and tuition fees of online colleges are flexible. Completing online courses on time is a real challenge even for the brilliant students.

Learners who have just passed out from high-schools

Many learners these days enter the higher learning realm with only high-school degrees. Opting for a four year course and spending a sizeable amount of money do not make sense, particularly when you have several online colleges accepting and transferring credits. You can opt for an associate degree and transfer the credit to the next college, online or offline. This will save considerable amount of money and time to you, as you can complete the course in less than 4 years.

Learners keen to study something unconventional

Besides business courses, criminal justice degrees, IT and computer science degrees, there are many other out of the ordinary courses which today’s learners want to discover and learn. As many students like to study Pastoral Care or Small Business Management or Counselling, online colleges provide all the modern and contemporary courses to you.

Hence, online line covers almost every type of students. However, one should research well to find out the accreditation of online college before enrolling in it.

World renowned universities from UK are now offering various kinds of distance learning online courses to students who reside in ‘educationally’ backward countries like Nigeria. Due to political disturbances, the educational infrastructure of Nigeria is weak and damaged. However, students from these countries can now study in college without having to cross borders. Distance learning courses offered by UK Universities are preferred by most students as online UK degrees are recognised globally.

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Here is a look at few of the courses that are provided by UK Universities and their features.

If you want to study Law so that you can get a better understanding of legal principles, you can take this three year course and earn your LLB. Since this is a part-time course, you can also finish it in six years. The students should have three ‘A’ level passes, which are good or equivalents. Also, they must have an IELTS score of at least 6.0 if their first language is not English.

For a degree in Finance, a student needs, two good ‘A’ level passes or an equivalent, they should complete an Access Programme (or an equivalent) and get at least 6.0 in their IELTS if English was not their first language. This course will help students develop skills in financial accounting.

For a degree in Business the requirements are more or less the same as the Finance course. The course will help them acquire good skills in business disciplines, along with the understanding and application. These courses can be completed in three to six years.

For a degree in Marketing, again, the requirements are more or less the same as the Finance course. The course will help the students develop proper understanding of marketing strategy and planning and marketing communication. Again, the course can be finished in three to six years.

For a degree in Graphic Design, students require two good subjects in their A Levels or GCE or they should complete their Access Programme. A score of 6.0 in IELTS if first is not English. Work experience is required if qualifications are not met and should provide sample of their creative work.

The qualification criteria in all subjects vary from college to college but these are the basic features of online UK University courses. Post graduation courses are also provided by some universities but eligibility criteria must be met.

Our workforce and its environment is changing dramatically. More and more tools and technologies are being launched to make the learning application meet the learning style of the present generation. With the modernization of education e- learning has presented the next generation with easier learning solutions. The reach of these solutions is so widespread that even the remotest corners of the globe are lightened by the presence of online and distance learning courses nowadays.

E-learning is the new age solution giving learners all the benefits that they so far could not avail of with the traditional courses. Have you ever thought how your learning content would look on a mobile device? Learning on the go and from wherever and whenever you want is the new age mantra for the 21st century students and professionals.

E-Learning makes Studies more Interesting

Learning will now be fun. It gives the learner the user experience. It involves self reliance and gives scope for self improvement. If you had to picture this that the professor is standing in front of the auditorium and talking in a monotonous voice for hours. How many students do you think will be awake by the time the class ends? On the other hand would it not be interesting to attend a virtual classroom with a dynamic and engaging professor engaging students with objective lessons? It is the same content delivering different user experience. And this is where e-learning scores above traditional mode of learning in terms of popularity. When we talk of fun, it is fun from the learner’s perspective and it means that there is no waste of time.

Using of state of the art tools and technologies, web based study materials and all the modern features is what best describes this new age learning solution. Universities all across the globe are now taking initiatives to offer this form of learning to the students. The top UK universities as well offer online graduate courses and online postgraduate courses. These courses are tailored to meet all the needs of students and working professionals like. These courses offer a synergy between incorporating the most updated technologies and the already existing ones.

With the passage of time this mode of learning is expected to come out bigger and better and help learners enjoy the learning experience and retain the information longer.

For years, Nigeria had been subject to political turmoil and social pandemonium that consequently stopped students from stepping here for higher studies. Moreover, there were not enough schools and colleges that could provide quality education to students. Since the nation was economically backward, the government couldn’t provide much benefits to career enthusiasts.

Quite a few years later, the internet made its grand arrival, and this modernized the educational system in Nigeria. Several schools and colleges today have started offering online courses to individuals and even working professionals. In fact, plenty of academic institutions have been established in Nigeria in the last few years that offer accredited career enhancement programs to students coming from various corners of the globe.

Online education in Nigeria has indeed reached the heights of prosperity today. The demand of the online courses offered in the Nigerian schools, colleges and universities is soaring with the passage of time. Moreover, new learning concepts have been introduced into the classrooms in the majority of schools and colleges in Nigeria. Plenty of students coming from remote corners are able to pursue their courses right from their homes with ease and confidence.

According to the National Universities Commission, it has been estimated that almost 350,000 students are almost set to enroll by 2015 for open distance learning in the Nigerian schools and universities. There are many who are deprived of educational opportunities, and it’s solely for them that the number of candidates to enroll is so high.

Today, the majority of colleges in Nigeria offer a wide range of professional disciplines like Education, Social Science, Humanities, MBA and many more career programs. Currently, there are six accredited open distance learning institutions in Nigeria. However, there are several other universities who are making positive attempts to adopt the open distance learning mode. So, students who are willing to pursue higher studies online after school or graduation can enroll in any of the accredited Nigerian institutions with confidence.